Eddie Geller
Eddie Geller (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Florida's 15th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 23, 2022.
Geller completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Eddie Geller was born in Long Island, New York. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida in 2005. His career experience includes working as an actor, comedian, and activist. He has worked with MoveOn.org, the DNC, and Priorities USA.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: Florida's 15th Congressional District election, 2022
General election
General election for U.S. House Florida District 15
Laurel Lee defeated Alan Cohn in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 15 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Laurel Lee (R) | 58.5 | 145,219 |
 | Alan Cohn (D) | 41.5 | 102,835 | |
| Total votes: 248,054 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Brian Bertges (No Party Affiliation)
- Josue Vazquez (No Party Affiliation)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 15
Alan Cohn defeated Gavin Brown, Eddie Geller, Cesar Ramirez, and William VanHorn in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 15 on August 23, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Alan Cohn | 33.1 | 14,928 |
 | Gavin Brown | 22.3 | 10,034 | |
 | Eddie Geller | 21.9 | 9,859 | |
 | Cesar Ramirez | 17.3 | 7,817 | |
 | William VanHorn | 5.4 | 2,435 | |
| Total votes: 45,073 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jesse Philippe (D)
- Lily Ramcharran (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 15
Laurel Lee defeated Kelli Stargel, Jackie Toledo, Demetries Grimes, and Kevin McGovern in the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 15 on August 23, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Laurel Lee | 41.5 | 22,481 |
 | Kelli Stargel | 27.8 | 15,072 | |
 | Jackie Toledo | 11.6 | 6,307 | |
 | Demetries Grimes | 10.4 | 5,629 | |
 | Kevin McGovern | 8.7 | 4,713 | |
| Total votes: 54,202 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Dennis A. Ross (R)
- Jay Collins (R)
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Eddie Geller completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Geller's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- I'm not your typical candidate—I have a creative background, and I think we need more of that in politics today.
- I got in this race, first and foremost, to fight for our democracy. Too many on the other side are willing to betray our Democratic institutions for political gain. We need to put an end to that.
- We need new leaders willing to step up and take bold action on the most pressing issues of our time—addressing the climate crisis, ensuring access to quality healthcare for all, building an economy that works for Main Street, and so much more.
Standing up for Democracy: too many Republicans have proven themselves willing to destroy this country's Democratic institutions for short-term political gain. Additionally, corporations have taken on an outsized role in our politics as well as society as a whole. Both are threats to our democracy.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Geller's campaign website stated the following:
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Protecting Democracy Our democracy is hanging on by a thread and Congress must take swift action to protect voting rights and restore faith in our electoral system. For the sake of our democracy, I support overturning Citizens United and passing the For the People Act, which provides a litany of long-needed reforms: everything from automatic voter registration and making election day a national holiday to setting up a voluntary system of publicly funded elections and curtailing Gerrymandering. This, along with passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would move us so much closer to a system of democracy that Americans can be proud of. John Lewis said it best: “The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democracy.” We must honor his memory and restore democracy in this country.
We must take bold steps to address global warming. The cost of inaction will vastly exceed the cost of taking action now to prevent a climate catastrophe with far-reaching health, economic, and national defense consequences. Tackling the climate crisis is both an environmental and an economic imperative. The latest U.N. climate report is clear: we are running out of time to adapt to our changing climate unless we reduce our emissions. America must do more to both reduce our carbon footprint—that means net zero emissions by 2050—and invest in renewable sources of energy. We can do all this while also creating millions of new jobs and addressing the systemic inequalities that pollution and the climate crisis exacerbate.
Healthcare is a human right. That’s it. That’s the blurb. I believe that healthcare is a human right and that our current healthcare system prioritizes profit over accessibility and quality of care. As my mother—who was a doctor and one of the smartest people I have known—told me two decades ago, the way to fix our system is to ensure everyone is covered. While the Affordable Care Act has made improvements to the system, there is still much work to be done. I unequivocally support passing Medicare for All so everyone has access to the care they need, regardless of their socioeconomic status. However, I also recognize that that will be a long fight and people need help right now. In the meantime, I support measures like reducing prescription drug prices, expanding Medicaid, and the creation of a public option that will drive down costs and increase accessibility for our most vulnerable populations. Furthermore, ensuring that our seniors are taken care of is a moral imperative. I will fight against Republican attacks on Medicare and work to close the Medicare donut hole and rein in prescription drug costs, so no one will have to choose between filling a prescription and paying for groceries.
No one who works full-time should struggle to keep food on the table or a roof over their head. I will work to fight corporate greed and level the playing field for everyday Americans. We are coming out of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic that triggered an unprecedented economic crisis, laying bare the inequities in our economy and healthcare system. Inflation is hitting Americans in their bank account right at a time when shocks to our system are making things even more tumultuous. We need to help Americans weather the storm in the short-term and pass President Biden's Build Back Better plan, which will make much-needed investments in our physical and human infrastructure while creating millions of good-paying jobs. Workers are profit-creators for businesses, and we need to talk about jobs that way. Our largest corporations are posting record profits on the backs of those employees, and all workers are asking for is a livable wage with decent benefits. Unions help level the playing field for everyone, and as a card-carrying union member myself I will be a strong supporter in Congress. That includes passing the PRO Act and making it easier for employees to form a union. I’ve also been a freelancer and know the struggles—but also the excitement—of building something for yourself. We need to continue to encourage entrepreneurship with federal investments and make sure that any American with a good idea and a relentless work ethic can make their business a reality.
Every child in America deserves access to a quality education. It’s the right thing to do and it’s the only way for the US to remain competitive in an increasingly global economy. Quality public education has always been a great equalizer in American society. I am a proud graduate of the University of Florida who was fortunate enough to attend school with my tuition paid for by a Bright Futures Scholarship. Regardless of where you come from, access to good education facilitates social mobility. In order to attract the best and brightest to educate our future generations, we need to raise salaries for teachers and support staff. We need to expand early childhood education so every child starts off on the right foot, we need to cancel student debt to ensure our children do not graduate college with enormous debts to pay off, and move towards a system of debt-free public education. Investing in education is investing in our children, which will pay off huge dividends for generations to come.
I will be a staunch defender of a woman’s right to make her own reproductive healthcare decisions. A woman’s right to make her own reproductive decisions is an issue of bodily autonomy and freedom, and we need to recognize that. Abortion is healthcare and the government has no place getting in between women and their doctors. The recent Supreme Court decision striking down Roe is reprehensible and as a result, we need to codify the right to abortion into law now more than ever. Following that decision, abortion has been banned outright in 8 states, with another 4 states banning the procedure after 6 weeks. Unfortunately, more bans are expected in the coming months. The GOP is now the party of forced birth that puts the rights of rapists ahead of the rights of women. It cannot be overstated how extreme this position is, and we must fight back against this heinous movement.
We are long overdue for action on preventing gun violence and passing common sense reforms. There is an epidemic of gun violence in this country and we need leaders who are brave enough to push for common sense gun safety laws. In Congress, I will support universal background checks for all firearm purchases, a ban on assault weapons, and strengthening red flag laws, which temporarily remove firearms from those who are at risk of harming themselves and others. We also need the government to aid law enforcement, researchers, and communities to inform evidence-based solutions that go beyond the binary of who can and cannot obtain a firearm.
I am committed to standing up to Republicans’ hateful attacks on the LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ+ rights are human rights. No one should be mistreated or discriminated against because of who they love or the gender with which they identify. I proudly support passing the Equality Act and any other efforts to achieve equal protection under the law for members of the LGBTQ+ community. To their shame, Republicans in Florida passed the “Don’t Say Gay” Act. It is an abhorrent piece of legislation attacking the LGBTQ+ community. And if Republicans are able to take over the House, they will no doubt attempt to pass this type of legislation on a federal level. The trans community—and especially trans youth—have been singled out by attacks from all over the country. We must defend those who are most vulnerable and fight back voraciously as Republican lawmakers attempt to win votes by targeting this community.
If we hope to make headway on racial justice in this country, we must have leaders unafraid to address its root causes and propose real solutions. A discussion of racial justice cannot merely begin and end with the name “George Floyd.” Yes, we must do the most humane of our long-needed reforms: ending mass incarceration, closing the school-to-prison pipeline, and enacting the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. But we also must pursue an America that is truly equal. We must be willing to have real conversations about where racism in America still exists—from housing to hiring to education and beyond—and work together as a country to eliminate racism’s harmful effects on our society. This will be an incredibly difficult path but one we must follow if we are to fully realize the promise of America for all of its citizens.
Nearly 5 million adults in Florida identify as having a disability and we must fulfill the promise made to them by the Americans with Disability Act. I will fight in Congress to make sure our country lives up to the full promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act so those with disabilities have access to the quality of life and quality of care they deserve. That means continuing to fully fund home health care for seniors and people with disabilities. Americans with disabilities should have access to good jobs and a strong social safety net to support them. We also must vigorously fight against discrimination against the disability community—including those with invisible disabilities.
The speed of innovation on the internet has far surpassed Washington’s ability to reckon with its impacts. We must restore the innovation that made the web so great, and deal with the massive power these companies (& their algorithms) have over our lives. I got my start in activism by launching a grassroots organization off a single post to Reddit.com in order to fight for a free and open internet. We won that battle in 2015 when the FCC reclassified internet service providers as Title II common carriers subject to net neutrality rules. Sadly, despite a public outcry, the Trump administration reversed this decision in 2017, leaving the internet unprotected yet again. As a member of Congress, I will be an outspoken advocate for a free and open internet, and I will enthusiastically co-sponsor legislation that restores Title II regulations to the internet emphasizing three main principles: no blocking, no throttling, and no paid prioritization. Additionally, we must bring to heel the spread of misinformation and extremism on our biggest platforms: Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter. These companies must meaningfully improve their platforms or be broken up.
There is a housing crisis in Florida and across this country, and we must elect leaders who will take steps to address it. Housing is a human right. The lack of affordable housing across FL-15 has reached crisis levels. Surging demand and a lack of new development have caused rents to increase by 30-40% and housing values by 50% in some cases. This is not sustainable and our elected leaders must take action. We need to increase the development of affordable housing and take steps to keep Wall Street from buying houses out from under Main Street.[2] |
” |
| —Eddie Geller's campaign website (2022)[3] | ||
See also
2022 Elections
External links
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Candidate U.S. House Florida District 15 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 11, 2022
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Eddie Geller for Congress, “Eddie's Platform,” accessed August 22, 2022
